Bedside Manner
by Ilovedesserts
Summary: A/U-Set in Part 2 of Season 4, after Andy's "dust up with the car" and explores what if... What if Andy and Sharon hadn't started dating, and he's left fighting for his life in the hospital? This sticks closely to his accident, but implies his injuries were even more serious.
1. Chapter 1

She heard the constant hum of the machines and realized she had fallen asleep while sitting in the chair. She opened her eyes, daring herself to keep them open and looked over at the sleeping form before her. Andy. The machines indicated he was still alive, still breathing, but she felt better seeing the rise and fall of his chest herself. She sunk back into the chair after she confirmed he was still okay, silently scolding herself for nodding off, even if for just a few moments.

She picked up the crumpled tissue in her lap, dabbing her eyes with it. It wasn't the first tissue, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last. Her best friend in the world was lying in a hospital bed, fighting to stay alive, and she was struggling. She was struggling because really, who was she kidding? Best friend? Was that all he was to her? After years and years of everything, the tension, the bickering, the actual verbal fighting, the smiles, the looks, the dinners, the family events, the hours and hours alone together, Rusty, the co-parenting, the work issues-best friends, was that really all they were?

Sharon dabbed her eyes again, trying to count how many tissues she had used so far. She lost count very quickly and glanced back at the man she'd grown so fond of over the last few years. She felt like she could almost see the pain etched in his face, the pain from years of not feeling good enough, not feeling like a real father, not feeling like he was anything other than a washed-up alcoholic, not feeling like he'd made anything of his life. She looked at his worn hands, hands that had escorted suspects to prison, hands that had held the power of a gun and fired it, hands that had run through his hair in anguish many times, hands that he'd raised over his head in frustration, hands that had held hers on occasion, but as Sharon sat and thought, she realized those hands had not held her enough.

"Andy?" she tried speaking to him, as she pulled her chair closer. She took his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over his hand. "Andy, we need you to wake up." Still nothing. His hand was cool to the touch, and she didn't like that. On the rare occasions, he had held her hand, it had been warm and comfortable. Now, it felt cold, distant, and not the Andy she knew and treasured.

"Andy, this is silly," she shook her head, trying to shake the tears away. "Why did you have to be such an idiot? That 'dust up with the car' as you tried to call it. Andy, that car, the blood clot, this can't be the end. I need you to come back to me. I have so much to say," she said, finally reaching for her tissue again.

Sharon was silent for another moment, before she tried another tactic, "Andy, if you wake up now, I'll let you kiss me. I'll even be your girlfriend because if there's one thing I've learned from all this, it's that we are too good of friends. Andy, I think I fell in love with you long ago, and we've been kidding ourselves the last few years."

Still, Andy remained unconscious, and Sharon slumped back in her chair, "Andy, we are supposed to have more time together. I have taken too long to figure out my feelings; I've put you off way too long, and yes, I know you've never asked, but I could always tell you wanted more. I've figured out my feelings now, which is ridiculous that it should come to this, and you can't leave me at this point. Andy, I need you, and you know I don't need anyone. Andy, please don't leave me," she choked out in tears before she reached for the torn tissue once again.

She was choked up and looked away from him, as if he was really able to look at her and see the mess she had become. She hadn't showered in at least a day, or was it longer? Her hair was a frizzy, mangled mess at this point. It felt gross to her, but she had no plan to tame it anytime soon. She hadn't brushed her teeth in who knows how long. She had not eaten in, well, she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. Any trace of makeup was a few days' old, and her clothes, she was ready to burn them, even if she had on a pair of her favorite jeans and a very comfortable sweater. Her clothes reminded her now of sadness, of despair, and of an empty, alone feeling. Yes, she wanted to burn her clothes and never have to see them or what they represented again. She focused her eyes, noting the sun was going down again. How many times had she watched it now?

This mess had all started after the dust up. He'd suffered a few broken ribs, a concussion, and a lot of secondary issues. Andy had fallen, developing the blood clot, but thankfully, Patrice had been there with him. His dust up with the car had been serious; he tried to downplay it, but Sharon knew better. She saw his pain, and she offered to help, but he wouldn't have it. After Sharon gave Provenza a look, he sprang into action, opening his home to Andy. Patrice would help, he told Sharon, and thank goodness Patrice had. Andy had reported his blood clot issue to Sharon as his superior officer, but once again, she could tell he was downplaying it. The closeness she thought they had, she could tell he was withdrawn, probably trying to protect her, that or trying to emotionally detach from her. Now, here they were; Andy had fallen, knocked himself out, and required immediate surgery; the clot was bad, extremely serious. He'd had the surgery, and the doctors weren't sure if he had any permanent damage. They were optimistic he would wake up, but he'd hit his head hard, and they were monitoring him for any internal bleeding or additional clots. A brain bleed would be devastating, and further clots could kill him.

"Captain," she heard and didn't even have the energy to turn around. "Captain," she heard again, this time a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, even though that required more effort than she wanted.

"Hmm," was all she could get out as she met the eyes of Provenza. He had a solemn look on his face, noting her disastrous appearance.

"Any change?" he asked, looking at her. He silently told himself he needed to get her out of here to rejoin the land of the living because she was obviously not doing well.

"No," she said, finding her voice was now raspy. "No change," she nodded, turning enough to look back over at Andy. He was here, in the ICU, and normally, it was family only. Well, it had taken a little discussion with the charge nurse to define family, but now, she and Provenza were taking turns. The discussion came after finding out that Nicole was out of country on business, and Andy's son was away as well. Andy Flynn had family, just in the way of his two closest friends.

"Sharon," Provenza said, using her first name for effect. It worked; she looked up at him, "Go home, shower, change, eat, and get some rest. He'll want to lose consciousness again if he sees you looking like you do," he made a face trying to lighten the mood.

"I can't," she sighed. "I need to be here when he wakes up."

"I'll be here," Provenza offered.

She shook her head, "No, it's not the same. I need to be here. I need to see him, and I need to talk to him."

Provenza frowned, "Once he wakes, you'll have plenty of time to, whatever," he threw up his hands. "What's so important it has to come out the moment he's awake? You two have become good friends; he knows that."

Sharon closed her eyes, and with a voice that was choking back the tears, "I need to tell him I love him. I do," she shrugged. "I've wasted all this time pretending he's just a friend, but he's not. He's never pushed me, never said anything, most likely afraid he'd push me away, but I've been the idiot, and I need to tell him. I need him to wake up because I can't live with myself if he dies without knowing that."

Provenza pulled up a chair as he sighed. He knew it; he saw it, and he always wondered why the two seemed to torture each other. He was happy to help out Andy with his injuries, but all along, he kept telling Patrice that Sharon really should be the one helping him. He figured she was scared to go there-to think about Andy in her personal space, living in the condo while he recovered. He always thought the two had discussed things and had chosen not to pursue a relationship. Andy had been tight lipped about it lately, and he'd learned not to prod. It now appeared Andy had just decided to keep things to himself, to let Sharon go, thinking she was out of his reach. All along, the two were really just like ships in the night-passing each other by without really addressing what the other was thinking. He sighed and took a deep breath, "Well, I suggest you get yourself cleaned up quickly then. This has gone on long enough, and I don't mean Flynn here in the hospital. Your little confession needs to happen when you look halfway human, and you don't now. So, go, and get yourself back here. He's going to wake up because otherwise I lose my best friend and have to deal with my ever so annoying boss while she wallows in her love loss misery. Go. I'll sit with him. It sounds like you have a lot to tell him."


	2. Chapter 2

She returned a short time later, not feeling any better, but she knew she had to look a bit more presentable. Her state before was disastrous, as confirmed when she returned to the condo and really got a look at herself in the mirror. Sharon didn't think she'd ever looked that bad, not even after having two children. She'd put her clothes in a garbage bag; they weren't covered in blood or anything, but she didn't have the strength to deal with them. While her heart told her there could only be one outcome to Andy's situation, her brain and logical side told her that things could go very badly, and right now, those clothes were too much of a reminder of what her life had been like the last couple days. She didn't want to see them or deal with them, yet. They'd sit, and she would decide later.

Later, what was that? How long was Andy going to be unconscious? Would he wake up? He had to wake up. Something terrible could happen, and he could throw a clot. That was a possibility. The doctors discussed the various possibilities with Sharon and Provenza, both nodding as they looked onward at their friend. He had to wake up. There wasn't another option.

Armed with two cups of coffee, two take out containers of soup, bread, and muffins, Sharon entered the area again. She knew she wasn't supposed to really be eating in here, but she dared any of the nurses to say anything to her. She'd eat quickly, but she was going to eat. While she hadn't slept, she could feel her body fighting against her, rebelling for lack of food and sleep. She'd give in on one matter, food, for now.

Provenza looked up from his crossword and frowned at her, "I'm not sure you look much better," he said with a note of sarcasm, but at the same time, Sharon knew he was being serious. "You should have gotten some sleep."

"I'll be fine, she sighed, as she pulled up the other chair in the room. She handed the bag of food to Provenza, along with a cup of coffee for him, "Anything?" she asked.

His lips turned downward, "No. The doctor was in, and he would have waited for you to come back to update both of us, but he said there was no update, no change."

Sharon sighed and took a deep breath as she looked over at Andy, still no change. He was breathing again, something she continually liked to confirm, but his face was void of emotion, well, except the emotional baggage she could see he was carrying on his face in the wrinkles, lines, and even scars. She frowned as she looked back to Provenza, "Did he have any idea when Andy would wake up?"

Provenza offered a slight shake of the head, barely an answer, but Sharon saw that he was saying no, "He reminded me that it's still touch and go. They are monitoring him closely to make sure he doesn't throw a clot or anything worse. You know his heart isn't the best either, hasn't been for a few years."

"I know," Sharon closed her eyes briefly. "We talked about his next cardiology appointment just before the accident. He was complaining about it to Rusty and me. We'd gone to the Dodger game, the three of us, and he was irritated that he was a bit out of breath just walking to the seats. So, I'd asked him about his next appointment, and he said it was coming up. It was probably about now," she thought. "Should we tell his-"

Provenza cut her off by patting her hand, "His cardiologist is aware; he's been in and out of here too, remember?"

Sharon shook her head at her mistake, "That's right. I'm just not thinking clearly."

"Because you need sleep. You need to eat too, so eat," he nudged her toward the bag of food she had in her lap. Provenza opened his bag, as to almost coax Sharon to do the same. She followed, blindly almost, going through the motions of spoon to mouth, spoon to mouth, and repeat. She did that until the bowl was empty and tackled the bread. The muffin she would save for later. Before she knew it, she'd finished a meal. She must have been hungrier than she even realized because as she gathered the trash, she looked over to Provenza, and he was still nursing his soup, only about half of it gone.

"I can't imagine why he keeps taking you to dinner if you eat like that. You scarfed it down. Why Flynn is attracted to a binge eater like that, I don't get," Provenza said with a shake of his head.

Sharon smiled slightly at his attempt to lighten the mood; she knew Provenza was trying to get her mind off the lingering tension.

"I don't know why he keeps taking me to dinner, either," she sighed. "Looking at it with a bit of perspective, I've been a lousy person to him. I don't know why he's continued to bother," she said softly, scooting closer to Andy's bedside and touching his hand again. She almost jerked her hand back; his hand was cool, much cooler than she remembered, but maybe she'd just been used to it before from sitting with him so long. She pulled back briefly, shocked at the coolness, but after glancing at the machine again and seeing his chest move in breath after breath, she touched his hand again. As much of a shock as it was to find it so cold, she wasn't about to let go of it now.

"Because he loves you, has for years," Provenza said as he slurped his soup, as if this was a perfectly normal conversation they had all the time. "Honestly, I thought by now, you two idiots had talked about this, you had politely turned him down, choosing to just remain good friends, and he was just dealing with all his emotions. I told you-he's been distant with me, not saying anything about you lately. I thought you'd talked, and he didn't want to tell me what had gone on. I've always thought the two of you had a strange relationship, but Puppy Dog Flynn seemed happy enough, until recently. That's why I thought you'd talked. Sharon," he said, and that got her attention, because he rarely used her name. This setting, if any, was definitely the place to use it. "Sharon, he's loved you for years. I guess since you haven't talked about it, he was afraid. He was probably realizing more and more what he was feeling and didn't want to chance it, so being the idiot he is, said nothing. You're a whole different level of idiot, only now realizing what the world has seen for years."

She pursed her lips, prepared to answer, but instead, shook her head again, and she turned back to Andy, "He can be so strong-willed."

She felt Provenza's glare before she saw it, catching his eye roll too, "As if you aren't? I'd say that's why you're in the state you are in right now. If you think he's strong-willed, look in the mirror. I think you'll find someone even more strong-willed staring back at you."

She nodded, looking down, as one hand rubbed Andy's hand absentmindedly, "You're right," she shrugged. "Looking back, I think I was a goner myself a long time ago. I got comfortable though," she sighed. "I got comfortable that he was always there. He was always first in my line of sight at work, first to jump and help me with anything, first to offer support for whatever; he's always been there, and I've gotten too comfortable. I didn't need to think about what I was going to do on Friday night; he was always there. I didn't need to think about meals during the week, because if we weren't at work, we usually ate together. I didn't need to think about who I was going to call to fix the bathroom sink or Rusty's closet door because he did it for me. I didn't need to worry about taking Rusty's car for new tires because in dinner conversation, when Rusty mentioned it, he jumped in and took care of it. I took advantage of the comfort, thinking he'd always be there. I avoided any real conversations because I felt like things were going along fine as they were. I'm an idiot," she sighed.

"You are," Provenza said, biting a huge chunk of bread off as he sat and chewed it. "An idiot in love with said idiot," he pointed to Andy. "You both failed before, for various reasons. He was too scared to talk about things with you for fear of scaring you away, so he left it. He was comfortable too. You were too scared to admit feeling anything because that would force you to actually act on it, so you left it too. You both hid behind your kids, your work, everything because it was easy. Comfort never lasts forever. I think of things that are comfortable-couches, reclines, good mattresses-none of them last forever. Eventually, the comfort is gone. You've worn out the comfort at this point," he said pointedly.

Sharon continued to rub her thumb across Andy's hand as she listened to Provenza, "Do you suppose it is too late?" she asked him with a worried expression.

Provenza met her gaze and shook his head, "He'll wake up. You're the one with all the faith; have faith he will wake up. As for all this," he waved between the two, "no, I don't think it's too late. Neither of you have any better offers. No one can stand either of you quite frankly," he offered a slight smirk. "What does the world do to two people whom no one else can stand? They are forced together, so no, I don't think it's too late. Now, I'm going to use the restroom, walk around, and check in with Mike. I know you said yesterday you didn't care about work, almost causing me to pass out, but I'll see what updates we have. We haven't been thrown any cases, which helps a great deal. Talk to him," Provenza suggested. "The doctors always say they believe patients can hear others talking to them. Start with that. I surely don't want to sit here and be your shrink, so talk to that idiot there. Think of it this way-at least he'll listen and not walk away from you."

Sharon offered him a horrified look at that last comment, and he stood patting her free hand, the one not on Andy's hand, "Just seeing if that fighter, the captain, is still in there. There's still a spark alive in you, a spark to fight, so talk and make him fight too. It's all you've got left at this point."


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon watched Provenza leave the room and lost track of the amount of time she sat absentmindedly running circles on Andy's hand. When she snapped out of her dazed state, she turned to him, sighing as she saw no change. She didn't know why she expected to look over and for him to magically awaken, but she just did. Instead, she gave him a small frown and dropped her shoulders in defeat. She cleared her voice, again, mainly out of habit. She didn't know what to say. Talking to Andy when he couldn't respond seemed silly, but she had to admit Provenza had a point.

"Andy," she said, again, almost surprised when he didn't reply. "Andy, I don't know where to start. I miss you," she said sadly. "Come back, please? I need my best friend. I talk through everything with you," she explained, as if pleading would force him to open his eyes. She bit her lip as she tried to think of what to say next, "This seems silly. Why am I nervous to talk to you? For one, you aren't even responding, so I should be able to say whatever I want. Another I talk to you all the time, even well into most nights when we talk on the phone before we go to sleep. We used to be so good at yelling at each other, fighting over cases. I wasn't nervous to take you on then, but this terrifies me," she said with a shaky breath. "I guess I finally see what I could lose-you."

Sharon looked at him, watching his breathing continue. She ran one hand through his hair, a move she'd seen him do with his own hand hundreds and hundreds of time. His silky hair felt good in her hand, but it didn't awaken him. She ran her hand down his cheek, finally resting it on his chest, and there, she felt his breathing, up and down, up and down. Her other hand remained clasped in his still cold hand.

"You know," she cleared her voice again, "we are going to miss that hockey game you were desperate for Rusty to see. Remember that? We were watching the late-night news the other evening at the condo after we'd finished that movie. You were just about to go home when Rusty came in, and he started telling us all about his night. We all were just chatting when the news showed that hockey game where the goalie was injured badly. Remember that Rusty made the comment he'd never seen a hockey game? You bought tickets the next day, promising we'd all go this coming weekend," she sighed. "You need to wake up. I know we can't all go to this game, but you need to wake up so we can take him to a game another time. He's still going to go. I told him you'd want that, and he's taking Julio and Buzz with him now. They promised to teach him all about hockey, but even Rusty said that he figured you would be able to teach him about yelling at the players. He said he could see you as an avid fan, so Andy, wake up. We need to take him to a game. It won't be the same for him to go with Buzz and Julio, although, I'm really glad they are watching out for him right now with all this." Sharon was quiet again, still running circles with her finger on Andy's hand. She looked to him again, hoping to see a change. Nothing.

"Andy, there are still so many thing I want to say to you, things I want to do with you. We have a lot to talk about, a lot to figure out. I need you to wake up," she tried again. "You know, I went home a little earlier to shower and change. When I was there, trying to find something to wear, it occurred to me that I've been dressing a lot more for work thinking about you. I've been dressing each morning, asking myself if you'd like my outfit. Silly, I know," she shook her head with a small smile, "but the voice in my head seems to ask that every day. Then, that same voice always says of course you'll probably like anything I wear. I've noticed. I've noticed the way you look at me, and to be honest, I've been noticing you too. I remember that odd conversation we had at Nicole's wedding, the one about suspenders. Remember that? Somehow, we got to talking about that because you asked my opinion on the three-piece suit look versus suspenders. I can't even remember how we started on that. Oh, now I remember, that one uncle of Dean's had on those funny suspenders, and you asked my opinion. I remember saying that his were a bit odd-the pattern was strange, but that I really liked suspenders. I definitely noticed that not long after that, you started wearing them more and more often. You'd worn them on rare occasions before, but after that, well," she smiled at the memory, "I can't look at suspenders now without thinking of you," she gripped his hand tighter.

"Nicole's been calling me," she said after a few moments of silence. "She's really worried about you, and she hates she can't get back here any sooner. Both your kids have called. "Andy, they love you. I know you are worried you've messed up things with them for good, but you haven't. They love you so much and are great kids. Gosh, I remember when they were barely speaking to you. You've done so much to repair things with them. I'm so proud of the man you are, Andy. I love the man you are, and I am kicking myself that I haven't told you sooner. I guess I need to follow my own advice. Andy, I love you, and I am sure you love me too. Why else would you spend so much time with me? I've got nothing to offer, yet you keep coming back. I'm sorry I've been so distant, such a mess. I should have initiated a discussion about all this long ago. You've been there for me for so long. It truly isn't you; it has been me. I'm a mess, but I'm aware of it now and working on it. Looking at it, you took the same approach with me you have used with the kids. You were worried you would mess things up with me, like you believe you messed up with them. I think the only thing we've messed up is not dealing with this sooner. Andy, nothing is messed up. The kids love you, and so do I. No wonder everyone around us has been trying to figure us out; we couldn't even do that ourselves," she sighed.

Sharon looked around the room. It was sterile and lifeless, except it held the life of the man she now knew, without a doubt, she loved dearly. She stood and let go of his hand, but only for a brief moment, to get another tissue, and then she sat and took it in her hand again, resting her elbows on the side of his bed. She sat there, his hand clasped now between hers, looking at him.

"So, maybe I should tell you about some of the times I found you most attractive. I need to be more open, more expressive with you, so I guess I should start there because Andy, I'm so attracted to you. How could I not be? You're handsome, kind, charming. You're funny, and you are so caring and considerate. One of the first times I really noticed you might surprise you. It was way back when, well before I was even in charge of Major Crimes. You scared me to death when you were stabbed. I hated the way that case started, with me having to investigate things, but all I wanted to do was to sit down and see if you were okay there at the hospital. How ironic-it was another hospital visit. I don't know what it was, but something stuck with me. Then, you were so passionate about the case, and you were back at work even after being attacked. I respected that, and truth be told, I found it very attractive," she gave a small smile and sighed.

She let out a small chuckle shortly thereafter, "I found you absolutely adorable and completely infuriating at the same time, when you asked me to the Nutcracker. Oh, really, I should say when Nicole asked me to the Nutcracker, you remember, as part of 'going as a family'-how could you forget, right? And, let me clarify, that would have been the second time you asked me to that," she smiled at the memory. "Nicole, honestly, Andy! Here, she had to ask in front of the whole team, Andy! You irritated me to no end at that moment, and at the same time, I wanted to turn and smile at you, telling you I'd love to go. Obviously, I went with the 'tough love' approach-no pun intended there on the words. I didn't know yet I loved you, but you irritated me to no end putting me on the spot like that. Then, I knew you wanted to explain it to me, again with the team right there, and I didn't know whether to scream at you what an idiot you were or scream from the rooftops that there was no place I'd rather be than with you and your family. Andy, I couldn't put a name to it then, but I now know I was utterly in love with you. I mean, I didn't keep you in misery long, and in fact, designed a dinner party before the ballet to spend more time with you. Oh, you were so handsome that night. I should have told you, but I was so stuck in my head, thinking you were simply my best friend, as if a best friend and the person you love can't be one in the same. You had no problem telling me how much you liked my dress, my hair, and then spent the rest of the night apologizing for Nicole and Rusty's comments. I chickened out, not telling you how nicely you looked. I told myself that holding your hand during the ballet was enough, that letting your hand linger on my back was just a friendly gesture, but Andy," she shook her head, "I'm sorry. You've probably been in misery for years now, living in that friend zone limbo, wondering if I ever felt the same way. Oh, Andy, I did. I love you; I've loved you, and yet, I don't want you to think I've been trying to torture you; I haven't. I'm just really realizing it myself, but I have no doubt my feelings. They are there, have been for years, and are not going to change. You aren't getting rid of me, buster," she said firmly.

Sharon stood and started pacing the room. She needed a moment; all of this-Andy in this state, figuring out her own feelings finally-it was a lot. She continued to pace the room and her eyes landed on her purse. She went to it, pulling out what she'd brought from home, "I don't know how I forgot this. You need this here with you right now, Andy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry Andy is still out of it, but that is sort of the point of the story :) Here's more of Sharon and Provenza...**

* * *

She felt a hand on hers and instantly jumped in her chair, not realizing she was asleep. "Andy," she called, hoping that hand was his. She was defeated though when her eyes met the gaze of Provenza.

"Sorry to startle you, Captain," he said softly. "You were asleep. I tried calling your name a couple of times, but I think your days of no sleep are catching up with you."

Sharon nodded, looking back over to Andy. He was still out, no change. She'd been sitting in the chair and had it pulled up next to his bed where she had been resting her elbows on the mattress as she continued to hold Andy's cold hand. She must have fallen asleep, head on the mattress. Looking at the scene, she grimaced at how sore she would probably be from sleeping like that. It must be pure exhaustion because there was no way a person could sleep in that position otherwise. She looked back to Provenza, "Sorry. I guess I was really passed out. I felt your hand, and well," she gave a small frown, "hoped Andy was waking up."

"I really am sorry for that," he said. "You've been sleeping awhile. I stopped in earlier, and you were asleep then."

"What time is it?" Sharon asked, looking around. She had left her watch at home by mistake, her lack of sleep causing her to be forgetful as well.

"6:00," he said. "I stopped by here at 2:00 to tell you I was going to a meeting with Taylor and would be back. You were asleep then, so you've slept for a few hours now."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," she sighed. "I didn't mean to sleep like that."

"Don't apologize to me. I'm sure Flynn is on Cloud 9, even in his state, thinking he slept with the captain," Provenza smirked to her, trying to get Sharon to laugh a little. It worked. She let out a small chuckle.

"That just might get him to wake up," Sharon played along. "He'll be sorry he missed it."

"Flynn, only an idiot like you would sleep with the captain in the ICU," he said louder as if trying to get Andy to wake up. Nothing. Sharon turned back to Provenza.

"Work?" she asked. The two understood the inference made from that question.

"Work is fine. They had a case that came up, but it looks like an open and shut one already, thank goodness. Taylor wanted an update on Flynn. He also asked what our plans were for sitting with Flynn's sorry self, so I told him that we were taking turns since all his family was out of town. Speaking of, Sandra has left me two messages because she'd like an update and only called me because she couldn't get you on your phone. Would you please call her back? Flynn and I have a pact to not have to speak to the ex's unless it's really bad. This," he waved to Andy, "doesn't fit that criteria."

Sharon raised her eyebrows as if in asking if he was serious, but instead nodded, "I'll call her back. You just don't think she likes you. She likes me just fine," Sharon added.

"Well, fine. You can have her. I'll give you Flynn and Sandra, package deal. Wanna take my ex, Liz too?" he joked.

She shook her head, "No, you can have her. You already have so many, what's one more?" she said with a little more lightness in her voice.

"Look, you've been here this long. Go, stretch, call Sandra. In fact, Flynn is going to need some of his personal items when he wakes up. Why don't you go to his house and get some stuff for him? He'll be ticked when he wakes up and none of his stuff is here. So, go, get out of here for a couple hours. Make your phone calls and let your kids know you are still around, get Flynn's stuff, and then come back. I'll sit," he offered.

Sharon bit her lip, looking at Andy, "I don't want to go, Lieutenant."

"You'll be doing me a favor. The last thing I want to do is dig around in Flynn's unmentionables," he shuddered. "I know you have a key to his house."

Sharon's eyes grew wide, "How do you know I have a key?"

He rolled his eyes, "You have a key; he has a key to your house-yeah, goes back to the good friend crap. He told me all about it, that you were trying to dismiss it as work safety issues. Face it; you two are so comfortable with each other, you can't even argue a reasonable defense."

Sharon just shrugged as she turned back to Andy, "Perhaps."

"So, go. Get his stuff. I don't want to touch anything that might come out of Flynn's bedroom. Again, if I sit here and tell him you are alone in his bedroom, that might get him to wake up," Provenza grinned. Sharon rolled her eyes. "I'll even give you a minute to say good-bye and explain to him you'll be back, because I have no doubt you will be back here in a couple of hours."

Sharon nodded, and before she could say anything more to Provenza, he stepped out of the room, giving her a moment alone with Andy. She turned back to him, "Andy," she said as she leaned over closer to his ear, "I'm going to step out for a bit. I'll go by the house and get some of your things. Provenza is going to sit here with you. I'll also call Sandra and update her so she can update the kids. It would be a much easier call to make if you woke up," she stopped, looking down at him. He made no movements, no facial expressions, nothing. He continued to sleep. She continued, "I'll be back in a couple hours, and then I'll be here all night. I'd even be okay if you decided to wake up while Provenza is here because I'm sure he is going to tell you tale after tale of how I'm alone at your house, in your room, or that maybe he'll try the opposite, of how he's here because I'm out on some hot date," she actually grinned, the first she'd done that in days. "Andy, know that you can't believe a word out of his mouth. I don't want to be anywhere else but here, and I will be right back. I'm leaving you in good hands as well as with Provenza," she smiled again. "The angel you gave me for Christmas that I brought you, it's right here next to your bed. I want it back, but you'll have to give it back to me when you wake up. Until then, he does a good job of watching over me on my nightstand each night. I'm only okay sharing him with you since you gave him to me. He's never left my nightstand until today, and as soon as you wake up and get out of here, you need to put him back where he belongs. Until then, he'll watch over you, as will Provenza," she sighed, trying not to cry. Her emotions were a roller coaster. "Sleep well, My Love, and wake up soon," as she kissed his forehead and squeezed his arm. She turned away quickly to leave, thinking that if she backed out of the room, looking at him, she wouldn't be able to go.

With tears in her eyes, she barely met Provenza's gaze. He seemed to understand, nodding at her as she quickly moved by him. She only slowed her pace once she got around the corner, and instead of continuing down the hall, she stopped and put her back against the wall, bent her head, and started to cry. She dug a tissue out of her purse, dabbed her eyes, and once she had collected herself again, she continued to the elevator. She had a mission, and she wanted to finish it quickly. Andy was waiting for her, and she had to get back to him.

The drive to his house was long from the hospital, but she didn't really notice it, not this night. She spent the first half of the drive on the phone with Sandra, giving her the update so she could call the kids. It was odd that Andy's ex-wife liked Sharon, but like most people, she probably realized a long time ago what Sharon only now was, that Andy loved Sharon, and even that Sharon loved Andy. Sharon ended that call, promising to let her know when Andy woke up, and then she finished the rest of the drive in silence. She promised herself that she would call Rusty on the return trip to the hospital.

It was odd going into Andy's house without Andy there. She'd been there plenty of times, sometimes with Rusty along too. She liked his house quite a bit, but just hated how far away it was from both her condo and work. Andy had done a variety of updates to the home, and it was cozy; it was Andy. She flipped on the lights when she entered, noting it looked normal. There was no sign in the house, that Andy was injured, hospitalized, and fighting for his life. Before Sharon got any further, her practicality kicked in, and she walked back outside to collect Andy's mail. He had quite a pile, and she flipped through it as she brought it into the house, looking for anything that might be urgent. Seeing only normal bills and junk mail, she put it on the counter, separating the junk mail and throwing it out. It was one small thing she could do for Andy right now, simple, yet she needed to feel useful. Sorting mail somehow grounded her because she then turned around, taking a deep breath. Andy. His house, his stuff, his chair. She walked to his favorite chair and sank down in it, pulling the blanket that was on the back of the chair over her. Yes, she loved that blanket, and she used it almost every time she was at his house. Andy's house always felt cold to her, even though he kept it set at the same temperature as hers. The blanket, her blanket, he'd joked. She would be taking this back to the hospital, for sure. She sat in his favorite chair, with her favorite blanket, and she looked around. It was quiet, too quiet in the house. She was used to laughter, baseball games, long talks, but she wasn't used to the silence. It was getting to her, so she stood and folded the blanket, setting it on the table by the door to take with her. Then, she turned and headed to his bedroom to pack a bag for him. As Sharon dug around looking for Andy's things, she had to chuckle at his drawers. He had a drawer full of suspenders. She'd never met anyone with that before, but she had to admit that discussing one's dresser drawer layout wasn't at the top of discussion topic lists. Quickly, she found his toiletry items and some fresh clothing. She knew what he wore around the house when he was lounging, a Dodger shirt and coordinating sweatpants, so she packed both. She had also, on occasion, seen him in his old LAPD shirt and coordinating pants too, so she packed those. She didn't know how long all of this would be going on, but she decided if he needed more stuff, she'd come back, gladly because more stuff would mean that he had awakened. She remembered seeing his robe hanging on his bathroom door, so she grabbed the green, tattered old thing. She chuckled at it; he really needed a new robe. Maybe she'd have to replace this one once he got out of the hospital.

As she looked around the room, trying to figure out what else he needed, her eyes focused on something she knew he'd need, but didn't admit to many-glasses. Yes, Andy wore reading glasses, but not many knew that. Sharon was one of the few. He didn't like wearing them, and he had told her before that if Provenza saw him wearing them at work, he was sure that Provenza would give him grief about his glasses constantly. So, while he really needed them for computer work or reading, he suffered through, trying to convince a room full of detectives that he was fine without glasses. The absurdity of it all had Sharon let out a chuckle. Provenza had tried a similar stunt with his glasses, or lack thereof, with the range. After almost failing completely and losing his range certification, Provenza had finally caved and now had glasses to shoot. Andy didn't need them for his weapon, but he was still holding out that he wouldn't wear them at work. Sharon looked to Andy's nightstand and saw the black framed glasses sitting there on top of a book he was reading. Sighing, she went to them. She knew he'd need them some at the hospital. She put the book in the bag she'd started, and she picked up the glasses, looking for their case. Oh, she actually loved these glasses and had told Andy she liked him wearing them very much. She'd try that again at the hospital. Maybe telling Andy that she was going to let Provenza in on the glasses secret might spur him to wake up. Sharon sighed at the idea that Andy had been staying at Provenza's place, yet he'd still left his glasses here. Then man was stubborn, but of course, she knew a thing or two about being stubborn.

Sharon opened his nightstand to find the case for his glasses. She found it, along with a pile of cards. Recognizing the first, she picked up the stack and immediately discovered he had saved every card she'd ever given him, and they were right here, by his bedside. She sat down on the bed and started going through the cards. This wasn't snooping; she'd given him each one, all with various notes inside. She started with the bottom of the pile, and as she worked her way though, she could see, even in a card, that their relationship had grown. The notes inside got longer and longer, the cards more frequent. The beginning of the stack had cards for his birthday and Christmas over the last several years, but as they got more recent, she'd started giving him cards just because, funny ones, ones that she said she'd picked up and was reminded of him, ones of encouragement, cards of all kinds. She took a few minutes to read through all the notes she'd written him, smiling at each one. Once she finished, she carefully put the cards back in his drawer as they had been and then noticed he had a stack of pictures next to them. They were pictures of the two of them, ones she'd even seen before. Some had been taken by Nicole, a few from work parties elsewhere, some by Rusty, and some she'd taken of the two of them. Birthday parties, baseball games, formal events-he had all the picture proof of a relationship she had been too blind to see, too scared to address. All had been sent to his phone, and it appeared he'd had them all made into photos. She was touched; he obviously cared for her deeply, was truly in love with her, and she knew she needed to get back to him. She had plenty of pictures too, most of hers though, on her phone. Thinking about it, she made up her mind then and there to have the photos printed out as Andy had done. She wasn't hiding anymore; she wanted Andy, and he was going to wake up. There was no other outcome.


	5. Chapter 5

The room was quiet again when she returned. Provenza was dozing in the chair, but he woke up as he heard her enter the room. No change; Andy looked the same.

"Sorry to wake you," Sharon said quietly, as she walked in and put the bag down. She put the blanket on top of it. "Glad I'm not the only one who can't stay awake in here."

Provenza waved her off, "He's as boring as always. This is what it's like on a stakeout with us. He falls asleep, then I do, and well," he pushed his arms around in the air, "you know us, something always happens and the suspect gets away," he gave a slight chuckle and a nod of the head.

Sharon offered a small smile and turned to where she had put stuff down, "I brought more food," she said. "Sorry, no coffee. I don't think I can drink another cup right now. Hungry?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "No, I'm fine. Patrice said she had my dinner warming in the oven. She also knew I wouldn't be able to keep you away from here for long. Go ahead and eat, though," he offered. Sharon sat and opened Andy's bag, digging out the food she had brought.

"I didn't want to waste more time than I had to while I was out. I raided Andy's refrigerator, and it was still pretty well stocked," she explained as she produced some juice and yogurt. She also pulled out some crackers and a granola bar. "Luckily, I found plenty to eat there," she said, getting her food all setup.

"Shocking," Provenza shook his head and then rolled his eyes, "what a coincidence that Flynn has all your favorite staples in his kitchen. Well, glad Café Flynn came through for you. It is good, though, to see you eat, Captain. You need to do that."

"I know," Sharon sighed, as she took a bite of yogurt. "Speaking of food, Rusty was out with Julio and Buzz again for dinner tonight. I'll thank them myself eventually, but please let them know how much I appreciate them. They really are family," she smiled slightly.

"I will. They were talking about going to a movie earlier," Provenza told her. "Not sure if they still will," he added. She nodded in acknowledgement. "Did you speak to the ex?"

Sharon nodded as she had another bite, "I did. Sandra said if we need anything to let her know. She's been talking to the kids, and they hate they can't get back here right now. We had a good conversation."

He raised an eyebrow at Sharon, "I'd like to know how that is done. My ex-wives are all friends, claimed to have formed some club. They've even invited Patrice to come and join them. I told her she's not an ex-wife, not even a wife yet, technically," he offered a small smile, "but they like her," he shrugged. "So, how do you do that? How does the ex like the new one?"

Sharon raised an eyebrow back at him, "I wouldn't call myself the new one."

"Oh right," he waved a hand, "my mistake. You're not new. You've been around him, dancing around all this," he waved between Sharon and Andy, "for years. Pick your phrase, but how do you, as the current and well, the last love of his life, get along so well, with the former?"

She shrugged, "I guess we both want what is best for Andy, and I guess she, like the rest of you, sees that is me, or at least I hope that is. I hope I'm what Andy wants."

Provenza made a face at Sharon, "If you don't know that, you are the worst detective in the LAPD."

She let out a chuckle even as she tried to suppress it, and she looked to Andy, "When is he going to wake up?"

"I don't know. The nurse said the doctor would be in again around 11 tonight. You know, there's always someone on here, even overnight," Provenza said. "I know this is probably falling on deaf ears, but you really should go home."

"I will when he wakes up. Until then, I'm fine here. Don't worry about me. I will be fine here overnight. I picked up a book and a blanket at Andy's, so I'll be comfortable. Go ahead and go home to Patrice, please," she asked.

He nodded, as he stood, "I know you probably prefer to be alone with him anyway," he offered a slight nod. "You call me the minute he wakes up, you hear?"

"I will," she said, patting his hand as he put it on her shoulder. He nodded to her and turned to Andy before he left.

"Flynn, this is typical, causing a big hospital scene here. Wake up so we can all get back to normal, you know, arresting the creeps of LA. This one here," he looked to Sharon, "needs her beauty sleep, and you should want that too, so wake up and stop wasting our time." At that, he left, leaving Sharon alone with Andy.

She moved the chair next to his bed again, but before she sat down, she got the blanket from his bag. She also grabbed the book he was reading, figuring she might read it as well. She settled in the chair, food next to her and the blanket covering her. She took hold of Andy's hand again, still cool to the touch and squeezed it.

"Andy, I'm here again. Provenza went home. Oh, I see he messed with the angel," she said slightly irritated. Provenza had moved it just for the sake of moving it. She put it back where she had it originally and sat back in her chair to relax.

She was just settling in when she was sure she felt his hand move slightly. She sat up, and it did it again, but he continued to sleep. She decided to let the nurse know, and they ended up coming in, checking him, and reporting that he was still stable.

"He might be closer to waking up. Keep talking to him. Maybe something will make him want to wake up," the nurse said. Sharon nodded, thinking. She looked at Andy.

"Let's see, what can we discuss that might make you wake up?" she thought to herself. "Well, besides my sitting here pouring my heart out to you, I am not sure. Maybe though, I need to go a different route, tell you about Jack calling me last week. Yes, Jack called. He said he had a case coming up here in LA and would be back in town for it. He wanted to get together with me again, go out to dinner," she said, as she paused, watching the monitors. She noticed his heart rate picked up a little. "Oh, maybe you do hear me. Not liking that? Well, wake up and tell me! Yes, Jack suggested either going to dinner or bringing dinner to the condo. I'm not sure how I feel about that," she said, looking to Andy. She could have sworn she saw his face move slightly. Jack is persistent, but well," she stopped suddenly as she definitely felt his hand, which was still in hers, tug just ever so slightly on her hand. Sharon looked up, no other change to Andy, but she was sure he could hear her. "Okay, Andy," she smiled slight, "just for you, I'll tell Jack to take a hike. I won't ruin your perfect record. You've been the only man I've ever invited to dinner at the condo with me. I'm not counting parties, and Rusty and Ricky don't count. Jack showing up and inviting himself to stay a couple years ago definitely doesn't count. So, you've been my only dinner date, and I'll keep it that way," she patted his hand. "Well, if you can hear me, let's talk about something besides Jack," she said.

"So, when you wake up and finally get out of here, we are going to go on a real date. Yes, I am the moron who is jut realizing that is what the last couple of years, or really longer, have been, but if you are this real charmer, Andy Flynn, we are going on a real date. I don't even care where we go. We could sit in a fast food restaurant, not my first choice, but it doesn't matter. I guess I'd prefer a day we aren't called out for a murder, but that might be too tall of an order to expect. I'm telling you another thing, Andy. When you wake up, there will be no question that I am here for you, 100% and am totally in love with you. I am going to kiss you, a kiss like no other, that will attempt to make up for all this lost time. Now that I've been forced to see how much of an idiot I've been, I'm not going to lose any more time. I mean it Andy. You're going to have to get rid of me if you don't want me around, don't want to be in my life. I'm not going anywhere, and I think you feel the same way."

Sharon still had his hand in hers. He hadn't moved it anymore, and his heartrate had returned to normal after she'd toyed with him about Jack. It really was fascinating to her that he did seem to hear her, just how much, she wasn't sure. She studied his face again, then took her hand and ran it through is hair and down his cheek again. She rested her elbows on the side of the bed as she'd been doing on and off all day.

"So, Ricky, of all the kids, will be glad to hear that I've finally come out of my fog. I can't tell you how much he likes you. Overall, I think he wants me to be happy, and he's seen that I'm happiest with you over the last few years. Every time I talk to him, he asks about whatever we've been up to-dinner, games, whatever. I never would have pegged my computer geek son to be so interested in my happiness, but he is, and the few times you've been around him, he's already commented you've been more interested in him than Jack has been his whole life. So, I want to tell you right now that I hope all our kids are happy for us, but that won't stop me at least from wanting this with you. Our kids come first, but at the same time, they won't dictate our happiness. Oh, Rusty, he'll probably find it a bit odd, even though you and I already spend most of our time together. Rusty, he's one who doesn't like change, as you know, but he'll get over it. I just hope you will wake up soon so we can talk all this through together," Sharon babbled on. She looked again to Andy, and she was about to continue when the doctor came in.

"Hi, Ms. Raydor. I'm Dr. Todd," the man said. "I'm part of the team overseeing his care. I saw your name in Mr. Flynn's chart," he extended his hand. Sharon stood up to greet him. "So, how is he doing? I know you are concerned he isn't awake yet."

Sharon nodded, "Yes, I am. I've been here almost around the clock with him. I've been talking to him constantly like the nurse said, but he hasn't awakened yet."

The doctor nodded, listening to Sharon, "The nurse did mention his hand moved earlier?" he commented.

"Yes," Sharon offered a slight smile. "He did. I decided to try and irritate him a little, so I started talking about something that drives him crazy," she rolled her eyes. The doctor chuckled.

"Hey, that's good. Whatever works. What did you tell him?" he inquired, eyes sparkling.

Sharon shrugged, "I talked to him about my ex-husband. Obviously, he's not a fan, nor am I," she nodded. The doctor returned the nod.

"Very good. Well, hey, glad that worked, and you might have to continue with stories of the ex later if he doesn't wake up soon. I've gone over his tests and all. He's stable, but we are still watching for clots. That can happen at any time. Often, they seem to be doing just fine, and then we get one. We'll continue to monitor him. If you don't mind, I'm going to do my exam, and then we'll go from there," he explained.

"Of course," Sharon nodded. "I'll just go freshen up while you do that, and I'll be right back."

When Sharon returned, the doctor reported that Andy was still stable, and he saw no changes in him. He left her with Andy, promising to check on him before his shift ended again, and if Sharon saw anymore change, she was to alert the nurse who would call him. She resumed her seat next to his bed.

"So, why don't you wake up and tell me when exactly you fell in love with me, Andy?" Sharon prodded him. "I've had a lot of time to think, trying to pinpoint it, figure out when you started acting differently. The problem is it has to have been a long time, Andy. I am thinking that things really started changing for you, for us, back even at Nicole's wedding. Am I right? Oh, we danced so much that evening. My feet hurt the next day," she chuckled. "Of course, had I not worn those incredibly high heels, that might not have been a problem, but you really liked those shoes. You told me three times. I think that evening I realized what a kind man you are. I already knew I enjoyed working with you-we'd come a long way even then from when I started at Major Crimes, and before that even. I realized just how much you love your family and those closest to you. I guess another time you really surprised me is the day my divorce was finalized. You knew it was an oddly tough and weird day for me, and yet, you didn't push. Not many men would show up on my doorstep, after your AA meeting of course, with dessert to share. You knew me so well. You gave me time to be alone and think, but you made sure to know you were there for me as my best friend. Andy, you always seem to know what I need, and right now I need you to wake up." Sharon was met with silence, so she pulled up the blanket, clasped his hand in hers, and settled in for the night. Hopefully, he would have a good night, and the morning would bring about an awake Andy.


	6. Chapter 6

The night did not go smoothly. Sharon ended up spending a great deal of the night talking with Dr. Todd. Andy's heart rate was all over the place, and he was fidgety, nothing like he'd been before. Sharon could tell the doctor was a bit concerned, but they were still in a waiting game. Provenza stopped by at 6:00 the next morning and found Sharon out by the nurse's desk talking to the doctor.

"Is he awake?" Provenza, asked now hopeful. Sharon's slight shake of the head caused any hope he had to be lost.

"No, he had a rough night," Sharon sighed. "His heart rate was all over the place, and his blood pressure is doing strange things."

The doctor filled Provenza in on what he'd discussed with Sharon, and once they finished talking, Provenza followed her into the room again to sit with Andy.

"I really don't understand it," Provenza said shaking his head. "Patrice explained some things to me last night, but he should be awake by now."

"Yes," Sharon nodded, "I know. I really don't like how he was overnight. It was a bit scary."

"You should have called," he told her.

She sighed, "I know, but I didn't have much to say other than he was having a bad night. They didn't end up taking him to surgery or anything like that. I would have if it had been anything odd, but he had a bad night. I was here. No need to wake you for that," she said.

The two settled in, and she pulled the blanket up around her again. Provenza remembered he'd brought coffee and left it at the nurse's station. He returned, handing it to her, along with some breakfast.

"Here," he offered. "Coffee, and Patrice made some banana bread. Eat. The idiot over there needs you to be strong for him. So, anything else to report from last night?"

Sharon thought a moment, "I almost forgot," she got a slight smile. "I decided to irritate him by talking about Jack. It seemed to work. Before all this overnight stuff, the Jack talk got him to move his hand. I swear he changed facial expressions too, but it's a start. I'm sure he can hear some of this," she added.

Provenza shook his head at her, "That's low for you-tormenting the guy with dear old, Jack," he chuckled. "I should have thought of it myself," he added. Sharon returned the chuckle with a shrug of the shoulder.

"It worked," she said as she sipped her coffee. The two sat, watching Andy in silence.

"Tell me, Lieutenant," Sharon said a few moments later, "why are you so in favor of this," she waved between herself and Andy. "I know you and I have come a long way at work, but still, I know you've been giving him a hard time about our relationship for a long time. You give him grief about our being such good friends. Tell me, why are you now okay if we end up more than that, if we end up together?"

Provenza groaned, "Are we really going to talk about this now? I'm not one of the girls out for drinks with you."

"I know," Sharon grinned. "We can dish over a different kind of drink," she smirked at him, holding up her coffee. "I'm curious, please."

Provenza took a deep breath and looked at his best friend laying there in the bed, "He's never been happier than when he's around you. He's never been happier, and that's been with the stipulation or condition-whatever you want to call it-that they two of you were just friends. I never understood it, but he's never been happier. It almost irritates me to imagine his level of happiness with, well, more," he waved to her. "THAT, the more, I won't discuss," he grimaced, and Sharon offered a slight smile. "A few years ago, I thought he had a dumb crush on you. Honestly, I thought he'd get over it. He was going through a time with his family, kids weren't on the best of terms with him and all, but I thought he just saw a crush with you, something stable. For the longest time, I didn't want him to get hurt because I thought there was no way you would be interested in a guy like Flynn. Then, you up and invite yourself to the wedding, yeah, you tried to convince me we were just helping Flynn-you would go to the wedding, and I would occupy Rusty, but something changed. We could all see you actually liked the guy, and well, the next big step, you did what you should have done years ago, you divorced Jack, that idiot. You can say what you want, Captain, but we all know Rusty was only part of that thought process, even if you couldn't see it then. Since then," he shrugged, "well, you've grown on us, and I mean the two of you have grown on all of us. We're a better team with the two of you together, weird as it sounds. You two get each other, and you have this connection. You and I have our own connection when solving cases, but you and Flynn, you're both better when you are around each other."

Sharon listened and nodded softly after Provenza finished, "Thank you," she said. "I appreciate that. Are you worried about how this might play out at work?"

"Not in the least, Captain. Of all people, you'll handle it, and you'll handle him. And, you won't be a Gabriel and Daniels either-I know you weren't in charge then, but you saw it in the building. This," he waved between Sharon and Andy again, "is different. You aren't going to mess this up, either of you. That, you already did by being such idiots for the last few years. Now that you are clued into your own behavior, well, it, work, the team, you two, will be fine. For one thing, you're both old," he added, a twinkle in his eye. Sharon just rolled her eyes before she looked down and got quiet.

"I appreciate that, Lieutenant, I do. I just need him to wake up," Sharon shrugged, tears in her eyes.

He tried to relieve the tension, "You do realize that when he wakes up, he's going to be irritating both of us to no end, right?" he scowled. Sharon giggled, as she wiped away her tears.

"You're probably right," she acknowledged.

"I know I'm right! Remember when he was stabbed? Guy was a total pain in the hospital, couldn't wait to leave. Yelled at all of us in the hospital, well, maybe not you because you were trying to get him to shut up so our division could take the case. He even was discharged and went back to work. Who does that? Flynn, that's who," he said, shaking his head.

Sharon pursed her lips looking at Provenza, "You do realize he was so obsessed with getting back to work so he could fight with me? He might not have yelled at me in the hospital, but I got a double dose back at work. Remember, the case? He came in, screaming about that investigation, and we had it out in the conference room. Brenda was even there. It wasn't pretty. I felt horrible, knowing he had to be in pain, but he was insistent on going rounds with me then. He couldn't see that I was trying to help him, but I was following the guidelines of my job. The last thing I wanted to do was argue with him, but he came in spewing for a fight."

"Oh, I remember," Provenza chuckled. "Chief tried sending him home so many times that day. After you two went rounds in the conference room, and you left, he came out to my desk, and he started up again about you. Those were the days," Provenza sighed. "Even back then, Captain, I could tell he liked you. That was part of the crush phase, or what I thought was."

"What?" Sharon asked. "We fought all the time then."

Provenza raised his eyebrows at Sharon, "Exactly, ever heard of the little boy on the playground who pulls the little girl's hair-he does it to irritate her but secretly likes her."

Sharon looked over to Andy and back to Provenza, "Maybe I should retire. I'm a terrible detective," she dropped her head and groaned.

"Yeah, well not too long after that, he was on Cloud Nine with the beanbag incident," he said.

Her eyes got big, as through back to the event, "Beanbag-the gun? Really? I knew that was a turning point for the whole team. I remember coming in and everyone smiling at me, finally giving me a bit of respect. What do you mean?"

He sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Let's say he had more than respect for you after that. He had total giddiness. You know he has that in his drawer, right? Hasn't he told you?"

Her eyes got even wider, "He has the beanbag in his drawer? At work? Are you serious? It's been, what, six, over six years, right?"

He shrugged, "What can I say, other than that idiot is absolutely crazy about you. Get a clue, Captain," he shook his head.

"Oh," she shook her head, squeezing Andy's hand again, "I'm getting a crash course, and believe me, I might be slow to catch up to this, but I'm not going anywhere, Lieutenant. Just because I didn't figure out our relationship doesn't mean I have liked him myself," she winked.

He looked at her wide-eyed, "I really don't want to hear it."

She shrugged, "I won't say a word, Lieutenant, but I'll leave you with this-did you ever notice I started wearing more skirts and heels? In FID, I almost always had on pants, yes, a pants suit, but pants, and that was mostly a desk job, so I could have worn skirts. I take over a unit that is in the field often, where I go out with you too, and suddenly, I'm in skirts and heels," she shrugged. "But, I won't get into my feelings," she winked.

He made a face, and the two fell into silence again. It was quiet until they both noticed the machine alerting them his blood pressure was on the rise again. Provenza looked to Sharon, and she looked as worried as he felt, so he stood.

"I'm going to get the nurse. I'm sure they see this out there, but let's get one of them in here," he said. Sharon nodded, and just as he was leaving, the alarm on Andy's monitor went off, Sharon jumped up, and Provenza exclaimed, "Son of a!"


	7. Chapter 7

Sharon flew up, realizing she'd once again fallen asleep on her couch. She should be grateful she'd slept at all. She hadn't been sleeping well for quite some time, weeks now to be exact. Realizing what she had been dreaming about wasn't all a dream, she glanced felt around for her phone and picked it up. 3:37, and she sighed. Her back hurt, and it had been hurting since she'd spent days in the hospital sitting at Andy's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. That was weeks ago, and her back still hurt, and she wasn't sleeping well. She flopped back against the couch. Her condo. Dark. Silent. Middle of the night. Too quiet. Empty, even with Rusty there. She really needed to get up and go to her own bed, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. Instead, she looked to her phone, the one she was gripping in her hand, and she did what she'd done the last several nights.

"Hey Beautiful, are you not sleeping again?" she heard his raspy, sleepy voice, before she even could utter a greeting. She blushed at even the sound of his voice. Still, now weeks, later, she was just glad to even hear his voice.

"I'm sorry to wake you again. It's becoming a habit, I guess," she sighed. "I fell asleep on the couch and just woke up in almost a panic again. I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep."

"I've told you to call me anytime, Sharon. Don't apologize for waking me. I believe you spent many a sleepless night waiting for my sorry self to wake up. The least I can do is talk to you when you can't sleep. I'm glad you called. Want me to come over?" he offered.

"No," Sharon waved her hand in the air, which was silly because it was dark, and she was alone. "You still need your rest, although, my calling in the middle of almost every night of the night isn't helping. I don't need you driving around in the middle of the night."

"Sharon, I'm good to drive, middle of the night and all, even to come back to work next week. We talked about that. Hey, talk to me now. Was it the dream about the hospital alarms again?" he asked.

She sighed, "You know me too well," she admitted. "Yes, although, is it a dream if it really happened? I start to fall asleep, hear those machines going off, and I see myself jumping up, thinking you were coding on me."

She heard him sigh, "Yeah, but, I wasn't," he explained. "I never did. You know those alarms started going off because Provenza tripped over them and that caused the cord to come out, hence, the alarms going crazy. That mess was all Provenza, not me dying on you."

She sighed, and took a moment to catch her breath, "I know. In my dream, though, it is you coding on me, not Provenza swearing at the cords he just tripped over."

"Provenza is always causing a mess, huh?" he offered a slight chuckle.

"I should have known I couldn't even be in an ICU room with the two of you without some sort of issue," she said, sounding more relaxed.

"Hey! Don't drag me into this. I was unconscious," he added.

"Well, you did wake up in the middle of all that," she now chuckled.

"Yeah, if I wasn't in enough of a haze trying to figure out what was going on, I hear Provenza muttering and rambling on about the machines. Then, I hear all the alarms going off on the machines, wondering what was happening to me. Turns out, Provenza happened," he sighed.

"I can't believe I sat there for a few days, just waiting for you to open your beautiful brown eyes, and as I'm up and trying to figure out the alarm situation, I look over and see you looking at us," she sighed and then laughed. "Of course, you'd wake up the moment I'm not right next to your bed, holding your hand."

"Why do you think I woke up? You let go of my hand. It was cold," he said.

"It was cold for days, Andy. Trust me, I checked often to make sure you weren't dead. It was that cold," she stated.

"Well, not dead, I can promise you," he said softly. "Things are good, Sharon. That's all behind us. I'm coming over."

"Andy, do not come over," she said, exasperated.

"Too late; I'm already in the car," he replied. "Now that I can drive again and be a normal member of society, I'm going to come over. You can't stop me."

"Andy," she sighed, as she ran her hand through her hair, "I didn't call you to get you to come over. Now, I'm mad at myself for waking you. I'm fine, really. Don't come over; go back into the house. That's an order, Lieutenant."

"Make me," he smirked into the phone, "Technically, I'm not back at work until Monday. It's Friday, so you aren't the boss of me, now," he clarified. "Besides, we agreed that you could only boss me around at work. This isn't work."

"Maybe I won't answer the door, then. That would serve you right for doing exactly what I asked you not to do," she tried.

"You'll answer the door," he said confidently.

"How do you know? Maybe I will just go into my room and close the door, drowning on you knocking," she said.

"Then, I'll just use this key," he smirked back to her, greeted with silence. He knew he had her. She hadn't thought about the fact he had a key, even though she'd had to use his key to go to his house countless times while he was in the hospital.

"Fine," she sighed. "Well, then, I'm going to at least go and wash my face. I fell asleep while reading earlier, and I feel gross."

"Oh, lucky me, a gross Sharon," he teased. Sharon chuckled. "I'll be there shortly, Sharon."

"Thank you," she said in an almost whispered voice. "Be careful, and I'll see you soon."

Once Sharon hung up with Andy, she stood and moved toward her bathroom. She wasn't lying when she said gross. She felt like she had when she'd been staying at the hospital waiting for him to wake up. Deciding Andy had a little bit of a drive, she decided to get a shower. Her hair felt gross, her face, everything. She finally started to relax a few minutes later as she felt the hot water. It gave her a few minutes to reflect on the last month.

 _Christmas had come and gone, and it has been a crazy one. It ended up being one of her favorite Christmas' even with all the circumstances. Backing up even further, yes, Andy had finally awakened, and he had done so in the middle of Provenza's chaotic scene in the room. Provenza had gone to get the nurse because Andy's heart rate was doing odd things, but in maneuvering around the room, he'd tripped on one of the cords. Alarms started going off, and the nurses ran in, to find Provenza tangled in a mess. As they were all trying to get that straightened out, Sharon glanced over and almost tripped over more cords when she saw that Andy was awake. His heart rate doing odd things was apparently his way of rejoining the land of the living. Quickly, the chaos shifted to him, and an hour later, after everything and everyone had calmed down, Provenza left to get back to work and update the team, and Sharon finally had a moment to just sit and look at him, awake, something she'd been wanting to do for days._

 _"Hi," she finally said as she sat down and took his hand in hers. Finally, it felt warm. It felt like Andy._

 _"Hi," he said, a big groggily to her. He squeezed her hand._

 _"So, get some good sleep?" she joked, as she shook her head and closed her eyes. She put her other hand up to rub her face, her hand supported by the side of his bed._

 _Andy started to chuckle, "Oh, it hurts to laugh," he said, clutching his still sore ribs. "Obviously, I've been out of it for some time. What happened, and please tell me you haven't been sitting in that chair for the duration."_

 _Sharon gave him a small shrug, "I haven't sat here for the duration," she started, and when she caught his glare, even in his hospital haze, she rolled her eyes, "I haven't sat the whole time. I've talked to the nurses, the doctors," she took a deep breath. "But, yes, with the exception to go home and shower after a couple days and another brief run to your house for a few things for you, I've been right here. You've been in the hospital now four days, Andy."_

 _"Four days?" he said, still a bit hoarse._

 _She nodded, "Yes, surgery and recovery took almost a day itself, and then you've taken quite the nap since then. Your doctors said your body just needed to heal. They've been monitoring you for blood clots. Don't die on me now," she offered him a small smile. He squeezed her hand tighter._

 _"Last thing I remember, I was at Provenza's place," he said, trying to regain his memory._

 _She nodded, "Yes, you fell. You hit your head, and you developed a blood clot. You had a concussion, and they were worried about internal bleeding, mainly in your head at first, but since the surgery, they've been worried about one developing anywhere. Andy, you scared us."_

 _He sighed, and he tugged at her hand, "Hey, I'm sorry," he said with a sad look. "Obviously, that was not something I planned."_

 _She nodded, "I know, and it's okay. I'm just glad you are awake," she grinned at him. "I don't think Provenza and I could have gone another day being civil to each other," she smiled even brighter._

 _"So, wait, am I in the ICU? You and Provenza have been back here with me?" he asked._

 _She nodded, "Yes, we gave the nursing staff a crash course on our version of family. The kids are both out of town. Don't worry; they know what's going on. I've been talking to Sandra, and she'd been updating them. In fact, I need to let her know you are awake," she said, starting to reach for her purse._

 _"Hey," he tugged her hand back toward him, "in a minute," he said. "Stay, just sit here, please? I think you're an expert at it by now. So, you've been here this whole time? You've been talking to Sandra? Sharon, I'm almost speechless. I don't know what to say. Thank you, obviously. I can only imagine how much I scared you, and I'm sorry for that."_

 _She nodded, "You did, but I wasn't going to be anywhere else, Andy. I was happy to talk to Sandra. It was either Provenza or me, and you can imagine how much he didn't want to talk to her," she smiled. Andy groaned at the thought._

 _"I missed you," Sharon whispered to him, as she tried to choke back her tears. It didn't work; they started falling. Andy sighed, as he looked at her, and he took his hand to brush them away._

 _"Hey," he offered a smile to her, "I'm sorry. Gosh, I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Sharon. I really can only imagine the worry you had."_

 _She nodded, her water-filled eyes, meeting his, and she shrugged._

 _He knew she didn't want to be seen crying so he offered, "Sharon, go ahead, and call Sandra. Take a moment because I know you need it. I'll be here," he said sweetly, nodding to her. She returned the nod and stood, reaching down for her phone._

 _"I'll be right back," she said, but before she left, she turned and looked down at him. Finally, he was actually looking back at her. He had color in his face again, not a lot, but he had some. Without a word, she took the two steps back to his bed, leaned down and gave him a kiss to remember. It took Andy only a second to realize what was going on, and he immediately brought his hands up to her shoulders, pulling her into him. When she finally broke apart and pulled back from him, her hands on the sides of his face, she smiled down at him, "I did a lot of thinking," she offered a smile. He smiled back at her, and she continued, "I realized I'm a total idiot," she said as he grinned. "I'm a total idiot who is totally in love with you, have been for quite some time, but just got comfortable with our friendship."_

 _His grin grew wider, as he looked up at her, "I must have been out a long time for you to figure all that out," he smiled at her, as his hands stroked her arms. "I can't say I'm glad to have fallen, but if it brought about this, well, then, it might be a blessing in disguise," he grinned. "Glad you have figured out what I've known for myself for well, a really long time. Sharon, I have been so in love with you for years, and I didn't want to ruin things, didn't want to push. I didn't think you were at the same place, so that word you used, comfortable, I got comfortable too. Lately though, I was becoming more and more miserable at the thought of nothing more with you, so I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that."_

 _Sharon grinned back at him, and she leaned in to kiss him again. When she pulled back this time, she said, "I promised myself I would tell you this when I woke up, and I also promised if you woke up, I'd let you kiss me," she shrugged. "How about I go call Sandra and my kids, and then, we can get back to more of this?" she teased. He grinned, and when she stood, he closed his eyes._

 _"I'm going to rest up if I'm in for more of that," he mumbled, now with his eyes closed, ready to nap once again, "and, if this is a dream,it's the best dream ever. Sharon noted how good it felt to smile, and she turned to let the family, the whole family, know he was awake._

 _"It's no dream, Andy. I'll be right back," she said, as she left the room._

Sharon stood now in the shower, eyes closed, thinking back to all of that. She smiled at the memory of finally telling Andy how much she loved him. Remembering that he would be arriving soon, she got out of the shower and found her comfortable pajamas, hoping that she would be able to sleep a few more hours after she sat and talked with Andy for a bit.

She wandered out into her living room, feeling much better, and decided to make tea. She was startled to find Andy already in the kitchen.

"How long was I in the shower?" she asked, as she looked at the clock. She turned back to him, glaring, as she did the math calculations. "Andy, how fast were you driving?" she crossed her arms, glaring over her glasses.

"Well, that's some greeting," he huffed, as he poured the tea into the mugs. "I drive all the way here in the middle of the night, in my pajamas, nonetheless," he exclaimed, and it was then Sharon noticed he was in his pajamas, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing, "and you are irritated with how quickly I got here, huh?" he said, all in a teasing voice.

Sharon walked to his side and wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you for coming even if you broke every speeding violation on the way here."

He returned her embraced and kissed the top of her head, "I didn't break every violation. I was already on the way when I told you I was coming. As soon as you called, I decided to come over. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and I came," he said, pointing at himself. "See," he grinned, "pajama party."

Sharon laughed again, seeing him in his t-shirt, flannel pants, and his new navy blue robe. She'd gotten him that as one of his Christmas gifts, suggesting that after his mess in the hospital, they retire his old one.

"How was your shower? Feel any better? he asked, as he handed her the cup of tea.

"It helped, but I really want to stop waking up in the middle of the night with these almost panic attacks that you died," she sighed, as the two sat on the couch. Sharon immediately snuggled into his side, and he put his arm around her to draw her closer.

"Me too," he said. "Crazy lady calls me at all hours of the night, just about every night," he grumbled, and when she smacked his side, he let out a groan.

Sharon sat up briefly, and looked into his eyes, "Thank you again for coming. In my rant about speeding, I didn't do this," she said, and leaned in to kiss him. He held her tightly, returning her kiss. She then settled into his side again, and he began running his fingers up and down her arm, which she found soothing. The two sat and sipped their tea until it was gone. Sharon then sighed, as Andy had his eyes closed too. Both were dozing.

Andy spoke up in a sleep voice, "Sharon, do you think you can sleep now?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled, and Andy chuckled knowing she was almost asleep, finally.

"Come on," he said as he broke apart from her embrace and stood up, "You need to go to bed. You'll hate yourself if you fall asleep out here again. Every time you do, you complain about it all the next day," he said, as he helped her stand and then walked next to her as he got her into her bed. He bent down once she had her head on the pillow and looked at her. Brown eyes met green, and she smiled back at him.

"I'm really glad you came, even if you could have been pulled over for speeding," she said, as she yawned.

Andy waved her off, "It was nothing. Besides, I would have given patrol a piece of my mind."

Sharon ran her hands through his hair as he knelt beside her bed, "Really? That would have been interesting to hear-Lt. Flynn chewing out patrol for his own speeding. What in the world would you have said to them?"

He shrugged, "I would have told them my girlfriend needed me. She had a bad dream and needed me," he grinned. "Then, when they would have argued about that being a reasonable excuse, I would have told them it was the feared Captain Raydor, and I would have been able to get away as they all had a good laugh," he grinned at her. She chuckled to herself, as she continued to look at him.

"I'm so glad you are doing better, Andy," she said softly. He nodded. "I'm glad your doctor has cleared you, and you can return to work. I've missed you there, well everywhere, but I'll be really glad to have you back at work. Now, I finally feel like we can get on with our lives."

"Me too, Sweetheart," he said as he kissed her hand. "You need to get some sleep."

"Sleep here," she patted the side of her bed, "please."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Sharon, we talked about wanting to not freak out Rusty. That would be the opposite of not freaking out Rusty."

"He'll be fine. We're sleeping. Keep the door open, then. He'll understand. He knows I haven't slept in a long time. He might even thank you because I already can tell I'll sleep better if you are right there," she mumbled.

Andy kissed her head as he stood and then moved around next to her, "Where's Provenza to hear that I was the rationale one and trying to talk you out of letting me sleep here," he mumbled, causing Sharon to break out into a laugh even though she was almost asleep. He put his arm around her, pulling her tight, and he kissed the side of her head again, "Get some sleep, Sharon," he whispered, as he held her tighter.

She hummed, and before she drifted off to sleep, she said, "I love you, Andy. You've got a great bedside manner."

He smiled into her hair, "I love you too, Sharon, so much. As far as my bedside manner, I learned from the best," he said as he kissed her head again, closed his eyes, and the two drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed this story! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, and I truly hope you didn't think I'd kill off Andy! Thanks to Maidenpride for bouncing story ideas!**


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